Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? So yes: this grid is going to be tricky. And yes: the meta might be on the difficult side, too. But persevere! I've provided a few pointers here and there, so hopefully you will find your way to the answer which is a four word phrase that means "completely".
The easiest way to submit is on Crosshare (and you get instant feedback and unlimited attempts!) But you can also PM me with your submission. Either way, I'll compile a list of those who successfully solve the meta.
Last edited by benchen71 on Sun Jul 02, 2023 6:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
Appears I have fallen into the water of the moat and cannot get out. SO far all of the good ideas I have had have only been good until I try to solve the puzzle with them.
T
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges IF ASKED; metas should be about fun, not frustration. PM me what you have done so far, because often you are closer than you think, and I will try to help you move along.
Because life is too short for staring at abstruse metas, I'm going to release the nudges early. But first, here's who made it to the answer so far:
markhr
rjy
Hector
hoover
boharr
Meg
Cindy Weatherman
I K Snamhcok
MatthewL
Ergcat
heidi
THC
KayW
Pair O Ducks
That's 14 to get us started. Now let's see if nudges help get things moving...
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
1. There are two long entries (with "completely" in their clues) that provide directions. But 74 across tells you that only ONE can be believed.
2. There are two other clues / entries that will help you.
3. 8 across and 72 across indicate where you need to begin and end, which will also tell you which of the long entries you need to believe.
4. The answer can be found if you traverse the grid from the top right corner to the bottom left corner - but it's not necessarily a straight line.
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
I stormed that castle in record time! I loved this mechanism… didn’t need the nudges. If you can get through the grid, you can get the meta. Give it some thought before reading the nudges… all you need to know is hinted at very well!
HeadinHome wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 8:21 pm
I stormed that castle in record time! I loved this mechanism… didn’t need the nudges. If you can get through the grid, you can get the meta. Give it some thought before reading the nudges… all you need to know is hinted at very well!
You encouraged me to give the puzzle one more shot before looking at the nudges, and finally I found what I had been searching for earlier. Ben definitely provided several useful hints, including one that I'd missed.
Ugh! I looked where I needed to look and still didn’t see it until nudged to do so again.
Agree with @HeadinHome - altho I’m more HeadinHands at the moment
Nice one, Ben!
Moat crossed, but only after nudge 3 slashed through the rope of the trebuchet I was sitting in…
Check out "The MOAT Mini Pack of Marching Bands" here. US$5 gets you 7 Marching Bands which, hard enough on their own, now contain metas too. And once again there's a mega-meta!
